Fifth-wheel.



E. S. HALL. FIFTH WHEEL.

APPLIoATxoN FILED 11190.31, 1912.

1,1 05,424. Patented July 28, 19,14L

a; V20 FTQ-|- :o l l i 9 nes/%j n\" wlmfssfs IN1/mm1? fcaf? HAL 1,/ www@ 'mowers f lrDGA'ft SERES() MALL, 0F BELFRY, MONTANA.

FIFTH-WHEEL monte-t.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 28, 191.4.

Application tiled December 3l., 1912. Serial No. 789.479.

To all whom ltr muy owner/z:

lie it known that l. llomn ehtnn'xo HALL, a witizen of the United States, and a resident ol: llell'ry. in the county oi' Carbon and Statie ot' Montana` have invented :t new and lmis a full` clear` and exact description.

'Bly intention has tor its object to provide a lil'th wheel 'which will relieve the icing' bolt il'rom undue strailn and which will gire Afreut stabilit)r and tirmness between the wagon portsj when a. wagon with my improwznent is used on uneven roads7 or where the loud is very henry.

Another ohjert ol the intention is to pro- 'fido means 'for holding,r the tongue of 'the chicle yieldingly in the plane ot' the longitudinal center line ol the vehicle.

lily i'lth wheel gives a greater stability than is ohtuinahle with other eoustruetions when used on uneven roads, or 'where the center ot' gravity oli the load is at a distance troni the ground. ln hillj.7 and nnmntainous countrwv great diiliculty is experienced in movin;r bulky freight as hated hey and cotton, because to complete a load on u wagon it must he piled very high, which plaees the center ol' gravity at a eonsidermhle distance from the ground. Vhen a, wagon loaded in this way comes to a sharp turn in the rond, where there are`nnevenjwagon trnelis, the wagon tracks cause the load 'to lurch, and using a wagon with a common form of bolster plate, the turning of the liront wheels relatively to the front bolster leaves only a snmllbearing surface at the center to support and steady the load. lVith my lifth wheel the support is not lessened in any wrty, and the inclined faces, the flanges and the grooves in my eonstruction serve to rotate the lilth wheel baal: to norma] position.'

i-ulditional ohjeets'otf my invention will appear in the following complete specilicationJ in which the preferred .form of the invention is disclosed.

ln the drawings similar eharacters of reif erence indicate corresponding parts, in both the views. in whichl-"igfjnre l is a` sectional elevation ot my im provemcnt.; and. Fig. El is a perspective view showing one ol' the fifth wheel members7 with its` ends ciu away.

My tit'th wheel is constructed with n mem' her having' un oliening for a king` holt, and with an inclined surface having;r its outer mornin concentric with the opening` there being at one side of the inclined surface a groove concentric with the opening, andat the other sid a flange. which is Iilso eonccntrie with the opcnhnf. the llanege haring' itsl upper sur tace, termine' a continuationiof the bottom o l the groove. so that the upper surlace of the flange will torni a guide member, which is a rontinuation of the guide member tornicd in the bottom of' the groove. lVhen the flange on the iilith wheel member is disposed in a groove in a similar and rompanion fifth wheel member, and n flange on the companion lifth wheel member is disposed in the groove in the first member, the engagement of `the flanges with the grooves will relieve the l;in;r holt of strain and shock, and will also serve to steady the parts, and will assist in holding the members in normal position relatively to each other.

It will be seen that as the fifth wheelmemhers tend to hold the ports in normal position relatively to eaeli other, they will tend to hold the tongue of the vehicle in normal position and extended in the plane of the longitudinal center line of the vehicle, and assist the draft animals in their work.

The fifth wheel members have recesses on their reverso sides, in which fit bolster members so that the fifth wheel members will be tirmly held to the bolster members.

By referring to the drtuvings it. will be seen that the fifth wheel member 5 is pro-y vided with a vertical opening (i lor the king bolt. The fifth-wheel member has a. face 7, disposed ohliquely relativelyY to the axis ot the king holt opening t5, as best shown in Fig. l of the drawings. The, margin 8 of this inclined face 7 is concentric with the opening t5. inclined face 7 nml at one sid'dol' the opening, G, and eoneentrie therewith7 there is a groove E), there beiner a llantge l() at the other side of Adjneent the margin 8 of the the opening t3., and etmeentrie therewith, the e surface lll of this flange l0 forming a contin- '100 m Licata/i nation of the bottom 12 of the groove. The flange 10 is inclined toward the axis of the fifth wheel member 5 and has considerable play inthe groove 9 in a companion wheel member. The other face 13 of the fifth wheel member 5 has extending parallel flanges 14 between which may be disposed an axle member 15, the fifth wheel member 5 having'ends 16, which engage the ends of the axle member 15, and assist in preventing dislodgment. lt will, therefore, be seen that when two fifth wheel members 5 are constructed in the manner described, one of these fifth wheel members may be inverted, and may be disposed on the other, with its flange 10 disposed in the `groove 9 in the companion fifth wheel member, and the flange 10 of the companion fifth wheel member disposed in the groove 9 of the inverted fifth wheel member, there being a bolster member 2O disposed between the parallel flange 1-1 of the inverted fth wheel mem ber 5.

Through the openings 6, and through openings 2,2 and 23 in the axle, or bolster members 2O and 15, there is disposed a king bolt Q4.

It will be understood that when the two companion fifth wheel members are disposed in normal position, they will engage each other, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and as the inclined faces 7, the flanges 10 and the grooves 9 will act as cams the weight of the wagon and its load tending to rotate the upper fifth wheel member, so that it will move down to its normal position, shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

It will be understood that the movement of one of the fifth Wheel members 5 is limited relatively to the other fifth wheel member 5 by the construction of the vehicle, and that at all times portions of the flanges 1() will be disposed in and will engage the grooves 9 to relieve the king bolt from excessive strain, wear and shock.

As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the inclined faces 7 of the .fifth wheel members normally engage each other, the friction of the faces against each other serving to hold the lifth wheel members in normal position, relatively to each other, and to prevent the jerking of the wagon pole.

Tt will be understood that the device may be constructed in any desired size, and that it may be used for allkinds of four wheeled vehicles, and also for'. all purposes where a piioted member is subject to a strain at one s1 e.

Having thus described my invention claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent;

1. ln an article of the class described, a member having an opening for a bolt, extending through one of its faces, and a groove in the face at one side of and concentric with the opening, and a flange on the face at the other side, and concentric with the opening, the member being adapted to be disposed with its flange and groove in engagement with a flange and groove on a similar member.

2. In an article of the class described, two companion members earii having an opening for a bolt, extending through one of its faces, and a groove in the face at one side of and concentric with the opening, and a flange on the face at the other side and concentric with the opening, the members being normally disposed with the flanges engaging the companion members in the grooves.

3. In an article of the class described, two companion members each ha ving an opening for a bolt, extending through one of its faces, and a groove in the face at one sido of and concentric with the opening, a flange on the face at the other side and concentric with the opening, the flange having a surface which forms a continuation of the bottom the groove, the companion members being disposed with. the flanges engaging the grooves in companion members.

4. In an article of the class described, two companion members each having an opening for a bolt, extending through one of its faces, and a groove in thc face at one side of and concentric with the opening, a flange on the face at the other side and concentric with the opening, the face of the member between the groove and the flange. being disposed obliquely relatively to the axis of the opening, the companion members being disposed with the flanges engaging the companion members at the groove.

ln an article of the class described, tivo companion members each havingan opening for a bolt, extending through one of its faces, and a groove in the face at one, sidc of and concentric with the opening, and a flange on the face at the other side and concentric with the opening. the members being normally disposed with the flanges engaging the companion members in the grooves, and flanges extending from the other faces of the members for embracing additional members.

6. In an article of the class described, two members one disposed over the other for rotating relatively to cach other, there being a cam groove concentric with the axis of rotation at one side of cach of the members, each of the cam grooves extending substantially 180, and a camat the other side of each of the members,. each of the cams extending substantially 1800, the cams being normally seated in the cam grooves for holding one of the members yieldingly against rotary movement relatively to the other.

7. lfn a device of the character described, two members disposed for rotating one over Mmmm the other, there being an eiongatcd circular In testimony whereof I have signed my com groove in one of the members, and an Immo to this speclcutlon xu the presence of eiongatod circular cam on the other member two subscribing wltnesses.

sented in the com groove for holding one of EDGAR SEREN HALL. the members ieldngly against rotary move Witnesses: mont relotive y to the other, the cam groove Clxixmim'm DILWORTH,

and tho cam each extending more than 1700. l-{Umsm A. Simmons. 

